"The nurses at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital call me a ‘miracle lady’ because I’m not supposed to be here,” said Patricia, who not only survived the flight and the surgery, but was discharged after just 10 days without the need for rehab.

Rapid Care

Kevin Price, a, 36-year-old, 1st Class Petty Officer from Washington state, was enjoying his annual Outer Banks vacation with his family. One evening, he felt ill, but attributed it to too much sun. Within minutes, he was experiencing excruciating pain in his left arm. Kevin was having a heart attack.

As his wife drove him to the Outer Banks hospital, they contacted the sheriff, who called an ambulance to meet them. The EMTs quickly made the decision to request the Sentara Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance to transport Kevin to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

The Nightingale crew landed in Duck and immediately began treating Kevin en route. They reached the hospital in only 16 minutes. In less than three hours, Kevin was in the cath lab at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital undergoing a life-saving procedure. Kevin, who had sadly lost his father to a heart attack also suffered at age 36, survived.

To surgery quickly

Mike Donckers,a teacher and head football coach at Tidewater Academy in Wakefield, was driving home from a Thanksgiving visit with his parents in Nags Head.

He was about five miles from his home when a deer appeared on the dark road. He swerved to avoid it, and his car rolled. Mike’s shoulder harness failed, throwing his head through the windshield.

Nightingale airlifted Mike to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. His injuries left him hospitalized for several weeks, but he was grateful for his full recovery, possible because of the Nightingale crew and hospital staff.